The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.    Psalm 23:1-4 (KJV)

The autumnal equinox marks one of only two days in the year when the forces of sunlight and darkness are in complete balance. In the natural world, it marks the point at which the intense activity of the spring and summer ceases as the cycle of birth, growth, and maturation reaches completion and a period of darkness, decay, and death sets in. Throughout the world people celebrate this season with harvest festivals and often mark the occasion with sacrificial offerings and rituals honoring the dead.

With regard to our spiritual lives, autumn is the ideal time for quiet contemplation, for taking stock of the past year and for laying the groundwork for new developments in the future. The equinox reminds us of the need for unifying the positive aspects of our lives with the darker elements: bringing together our loving and gentle qualities with all that we find in ourselves to be unworthy and despicable, a practice that has been called "romancing the shadow." It is not enough to simply ask for forgiveness, which can sometimes function as a means of glossing over our sins, a quick way of getting rid of them, a detour around the more painful, disruptive, and difficult process of personal growth. Instead, we need to fully come to grips with the truth of our humanity in all its breadth and depth, to bring to the light of consciousness our personal deficiencies, before we can change them, learn to live at peace with them, or truly let them go.

Lord, be with us through all our dark nights of the soul, illuminating the shadows that we may see them more clearly, acknowledge their presence and power over us, and learn to use their dark energy for more light-filled and life-supporting purposes.

About the photo, Valley of the Shadow of Death
Taken by Jay Patel during a 30-40 mile per hour sandstorm, with the sun setting behind the photographer. Diane comments, "Just as the universe seeks to balance its light and dark elements, a process especially apparent in the setting of the sun, so in our lives we must learn to integrate the darker aspects of our own characters, rather than deny or ignore them, that we might harness their enormous energy for higher purposes."

Contributed by Diane
Sunday October 5, 2008
Liturgical Year A Week 45
Sunday Gospel reading:
Lectionary 27 (Proper 22)
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost